


Love You More

by zipplekink



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Anal Sex, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Non AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-25
Updated: 2015-07-25
Packaged: 2018-04-11 03:54:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4420271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zipplekink/pseuds/zipplekink
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>anon: i ache for liam attempting to pull off these exceedingly elaborate proposals, and each time its thwarted and zayn doesn’t get it<a href="http://zainspank.tumblr.com/post/120876615107/avery-i-ache-for-liam-attempting-to-pull-off-these">...</a></i>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>[Or the four times Liam tries to propose and the one time Zayn beats him to it.]</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love You More

**Author's Note:**

> Title and first song mentioned is Love You More by Ginuwine and I'm sure you'll recognize the second ;P
> 
> This is for my lovely Caroline as a big thank you for everything she always does for me and being my biggest support I love you Caro! I'm sorry if this is too cheesy but I know you'll love it :p

One -

Liam is nervous.

No, that is the understatement of the century. There are drops of sweat tickling down the back of his neck and soaking into the thick collar of his button up. He is pretty sure there are going to be wet spots on his pants where he keeps wiping his palms, and his bottom lip is probably going to fall off from the way he keeps digging his teeth into it. A nervous habit he learned from Zayn, he swears –

The table shakes from the jiggle of his knee, making their wine glasses and silverware rattle and Zayn keeps watching him from the other side of it. Liam needs to calm down, he knows, because Zayn is hyper aware of him at all times. Always making sure he is okay, the moment his lips form anything other than a bright smile, the moment his even flicker to the ground to watch his feet.

Liam has planned this whole night around one question, but he feels just like blurting it out now instead of waiting for their server to come with the ring on a platter. Forget the video he made, and the speech he pulled at least three all-nighters to work on. He just wants to get rid of the nerves that are wrapping around his throat and making his stomach turn like he is going to be sick.

It is a nice restaurant, one Yaser had mentioned that Zayn took him and his wife to a few years ago and really enjoyed. The round tables are covered in pristine white tablecloths that turn into lace around the ends, and there are three tall candles around a little bundle of roses between them that Liam was worried might be too much but Zayn’s cheeks had grown red when he first saw them. Liam’s wore his best shirt, a silky black one that he wore to an award show once and Zayn had commented on how good he looked in it –

Zayn looks good in anything, he thinks, but especially dressed up. He wears a simple white button up that clings to his chest, with a thin black tie wrapped around his neck that he keeps fidgeting with as he glances at him.

“Liam,” Zayn says after a long moment of staring, making Liam pull his eyes away from where they keep glancing at the entrance of the restaurant’s kitchen. There is a look of concern on his face and he reaches across the table to slide his fingers against the back of Liam’s hand. “Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Liam manages, pushing down on his knee with his other hand to get it to stop jiggling so much. It just feels as if his whole body is on the edge of exploding from the nerves building up inside of him.

Zayn doesn’t buy it and Liam should have known better because Zayn always knows when he is lying. His brows scrunch together and his lips poke out as he slips those fingers underneath his hand to intertwine with Liam’s.

“Bullshit babe,” Zayn says softly. There is a slight quirk to his lips like he is aware of how his smile comforts Liam. “You look more nervous than that time you took me to McDonalds.”

“It was our first date,” Liam says defensively, but there is a smile on his face that he can’t help. Zayn likes to tease him about it sometimes, about how nervous he had been, stumbling over his order of a double cheeseburger. Liam hadn’t intended it to be a date, but it took him three days to ask Zayn to go with him and before they parted ways Zayn had asked him if it was, told him that he wanted it to be.

“I know, best day of my life. Other than the first time we were at McDonalds. You know, when we met.”

Zayn murmurs his words with a cocky grin but his cheeks stain pink like they are in sync with the burn across his own. Every day with Zayn feels like the best day of his life and he just wants to spend the rest of it with him.

Because the last few months without him by his side had been awful, and he hadn’t thought twice about it when he walked past that jewelry store the other day. He had found the perfect ring, planned the perfect date and came up with the most embarrassing speech ever –

And now he is choking.

“Mine too,” Liam admits softly, though he has said it a million times. He squeezes Zayn’s fingers, allowing the warmth of his hand to relax him some.

“Missed you babe,” Zayn tells him even softer, his smile quirking up some more. “We have a whole week before you go back on tour, so let’s make the best of it, okay?”

Liam wants to tell him that is not what is bothering him, at least not yet, but he doesn’t want to ruin the surprise so he nods in response and squeezes Zayn’s fingers once more before letting them go so he can eat his dinner. Liam can’t even look at his own with the way his stomach thrashes around so badly.

“We should probably spend it in bed,” Zayn starts conversationally, pointing his fork at Liam as he speaks. “Since I have about a month of stiffys I need to give to you.”

Liam barks out a laugh. The lingering tension in his limbs slips away with ease as he looks at the laughter that makes Zayn’s eyes so bright. As nervous as he is, he is also excited and there is a warmth in his chest every time he replays the words in his head that he has practiced over and over again to get right. _I know I have said it a million times, but Zayn I am in love with you -_

“Romantic.”

Zayn quirks up a brow, sitting against the back of his seat so he can drag his foot across Liam’s from under the table. “I could go into detail, if you’d like. Plenty of things I have thought about doing over the last month that I couldn’t. You are quieter when you get yourself off than when it’s me doing it for you. And I like you louder, babes.”

“Zayn,” Liam groans, clenching his eyes shut so he doesn’t have to see that smirk he loves so much when Zayn sees how flushed he can make Liam’s cheeks. “We are in public.”

Zayn’s face crumples into a frown as he waves a hand to the empty tables around them. “I’m pretty sure you bought the place out, babe.”

He only sighs in response. He did, actually. Liam can’t quite go about a huge spectacle for Zayn when there is a chance there will be at least one or two of the other diners who know who they are. Besides the people who work here, the only other people here are Paddy and Preston, who are setting up the video.

There is a white sheet hanging as a projector screen behind the stage where the restaurant usually has a live band, but now the stage is empty except for a few tables decorated with flowers on each side. Liam even planned a fricking dance and singing his song to Zayn -

He hopes Zayn fonds his face off and doesn’t laugh in Liam’s.

“Just wanted to be with you,” Liam shrugs after a moment. He knows Zayn would never laugh at him, not seriously at least, but he can’t help how nervous he gets about expressing his feelings still. Even after all these years, he still can’t quite wrap his head around the fact that Zayn is in love with him too.

He didn’t realize how much he cared about what other people thought of him until he found Zayn who loved him for the things that he used to get picked on in school for.

“Love you dork,” Zayn says with a grin, tapping his leg under the table.

Liam opens his lips to respond, but he spots their server from behind Zayn, waving him over and his heart takes off on a marathon again because time is ticking closer to the moment he planned.

“Love you too,” he says quickly as he gets up, leaning over the table to smack his lips to Zayn’s forehead. “Love you more actually.”

And then he scurries off, knowing Zayn’s face has formed into a pout. He hates when Liam does that because Zayn’s lack of patience and vulnerability to his teasing makes it easier for Liam to win the ‘love you more’ game.

The server cups a hand around his shoulder when he comes near, bringing him close so he can whisper in his ear even though Zayn is on the other side of the restaurant.

“Mr. Payne, sir. We just need the ring and then we can get things started.”

Liam stiffens, replaying the server’s words over in his head. No, no -

“You don’t have the ring?”

The server hesitates, an unsure look crossing his face in response to the alarm in Liam’s voice. “I – no, sir.”

Liam pinches the bridge of his nose, his teeth gritting together.

“One moment,” he says tightly, pulling out his cell phone and going to his recent calls quickly. Everything was planned perfectly, almost _obsessively_. Of course there would still be something to go wrong –

They don’t have the ring, of all things to not have. The _ring._  

“Hullo,” Jawaad answers cheerfully after only a few rings.

Liam knows he should have reminded him, over and over again about picking up the ring like his gut had told him to. But the last time he had, after a handful of times of already making sure that he would pick it up on time and bring it to the dinner, Jawaad had given him a frustrated, “Liam, I _know_. I got it.”

And the only reason Liam had asked Jawaad in the first place was because they had been together when he picked it out. And Liam knew once Zayn arrived, he wasn’t going to leave his side, and Jawaad was the only other person in town he trusted other than Paddy -

Liam clears his throat, rubbing his sweaty fingers against the back of his equally as sweaty neck. “Um, so the ring?”

Jawaad gives him a long sigh. “Yes Liam, I know.”

Liam presses a palm to his face, trying to control his breathing and not snap at Jawaad because that would be unfair. People make mistakes, and his nerves are making him on edge so it would be unfair if he let his frustration out on Jawaad -

“-I will get it first thing tomorrow.”

Jawaad’s words make his heart drop into his stomach and he remains quiet for a long moment as he tries to get over the feeling of disappointment rumbling around in his chest.

Liam turns towards the server, cupping the phone as he pulls it away from his ear. “It’s off,” he whispers. The server gives him a regretful look and a nod before he turns back towards the entrance to the kitchen.

The jewelry store is closed now, and if Jawaad doesn’t have it then there is nothing he can do about it now. He can’t propose without a ring, or the video, or his speech. It has to be perfect, just like he planned in his head. Because Zayn deserves perfect, and if he didn’t have a plan than his nerves would be worse. 

He places the phone back against his ear, listening to Jawaad say something about him having nothing to be nervous about.

“I’m not nervous,” Liam tells him as he starts walking back to their table, his tone a bit harsher than he intends. His eyes latch onto Zayn, craving the comfort that he always feels with Zayn. Even when Zayn doesn’t do anything intentionally to make him feel better, he does. “Because I was going to propose tonight but there is no ring.”

“Oh shit,” Jawaad says, dragging the words out. “I thought it was tomorrow?”

“No, the dinner at my parents’ house is tomorrow.”

Liam slides his fingers against the back of Zayn’s neck when he is close enough, making Zayn’s head turn towards him. He grins some, his eyes bright and his nose wrinkling as Liam bends down to peck his lips quickly.

Zayn’s hand comes up, sliding to the back of his neck and holding him against his lips. He can feel the way Zayn grins before he moves his lips against Liam’s gently before letting him go.

“Yeah, you were doing it there, right?”

“Obviously not,” Liam says, pulling his fingers away from Zayn to sit down. Just a few little small touches and he is already feeling a bit more relaxed. He will figure it out, maybe he can propose tomorrow. It won’t be exactly like he planned it in his head, but maybe he can still get the three core elements. The speech, the video -

And he will have a ring, at least.

“Damn, I’m sorry Liam,” Jawaad says, but something about his words aren’t genuine and Liam frowns some. “I’m headed over to your mum’s early tomorrow morning to drop off some groceries so I’ll just bring the ring then, yeah?”

Liam holds in his sigh as Zayn’s eyes rake across his face and he reaches out to link their fingers together again. “Yeah, see you tomorrow.”

“Everything okay?” Zayn asks after Liam hangs up the phone and slides it into the pocket of his shirt.

Liam nods. “Yeah, d’you want to get out of here?”

Zayn practically hops out of his chair, but he wears an apologetic look to make up for it. He has eaten most of the contents on his plate and Liam hasn’t even touched his. “Bit stuffy in here, don’t you think?”

Liam snorts as he gets out of his seat. He has already paid for the whole night, and it hadn’t completely gone to waste. He was with Zayn, at least –

“Yeah,” he murmurs, sliding the flat of his palm against his lower back, fingers slipping across the silky material of his shirt that is cool to the touch. “And you were right, we have a month of sexual frustration to make up for.”

Zayn smirks as he reaches out and drags the pad of his thumb against Liam’s lower lip. “Then what are you waiting for? Take me home, bad man and get me out of these hot clothes.”

Paddy drives them home, slipping the video to Liam when Zayn brings the dogs outside to the backyard. He hides it in the bottom of the closet in their room, before heading to the bathroom to get out of the sweaty clothes that stick uncomfortably to his skin.

Liam soaks a face cloth with cool water to press against his cheeks, listening to Zayn pad around their bedroom and the whisper of music that starts playing. _Since you came inside my life, you’ve given me the best of you every day and night –_

He grins, listening to the way Zayn’s soft voice mixes in with Ginuwine’s, getting louder before the sound of the door slides across the bathroom floor. Zayn has a grin on his face where Liam can see him through the mirror, wiggling his brows as he continues to sing.

_“I love you more every day. You show me love in every way –“_

Zayn plasters his chest to Liam’s back, his fingers tickling at his now bare skin as he unbuttons his shirt. His palm is warm when he slides it over Liam’s belly, and his lips soft where they press to the back of his neck. He hums, his voice vibrating against Liam’s skin and it sends prickles across Liam’s skin.   _You’ll spend your life with me –_

“Thank you for dinner,” he murmurs, his fingers chasing up Liam’s torso with each button that is undone, leaving a trail of goosebumps in it’s wake. “My romantic.”

Liam chuckles, turning his head some so he can brush his lips against Zayn’s. “Better than McDonalds?”

Zayn pulls away some, fingers catching on Liam’s shirt to pull it from his shoulders. “Not a chance, babe.”

Zayn has changed out of his clothes, now wearing one of Liam’s gray t-shirts and he is pretty sure the black briefs he wears are his too. He wants to be in a bad mood since his plan for the night was ruined, but at least he has a few more days.

Plus, it is hard to be in a bad mood when he can see the expanse of Zayn’s smooth thighs, and the way they are littered with mouth shaped marks from the night before. There is a curl in his belly as he considers spreading Zayn back on the bed and making more -

Zayn hooks a finger in the lip of his pants, making him take a step closer like he knows what the look in Liam’s eye means. “So, about that stiffy –“

Liam cups Zayn’s cheeks so he can smother his laugh against his lips. “I love you.”

“Love you too,” he says back, tilting his chin to tease his lips against Liam’s. “Forever you and me, that’s how it’s supposed to be.”

Liam slots his lips with Zayn’s, cutting off the song he sings. He is careful in the way he backs them up, Zayn’s fingers wrapping around the material of Liam’s jeans as they stumble out of the bathroom with Zayn’s words from years ago echoing in his memory.

_Love you Liam, love you forever -_

Two -

Liam rubs his thumb across the shiny metal, rereading the words etched onto the outer part of the silver band. It makes his chest tight, remembering when Zayn had said them the first time. _Right next to you -_

He pushes it back into the box it came in before slipping it into the front pocket of his jeans. He had told Zayn he was going to the bathroom, but really he was going to get the ring from his mother’s nightstand where she had hidden it after Jawaad had given it to her this morning before he left to pick up Zayn’s family.

Maybe proposing with all of their family around would be a better way to go about it. They are both close with their families and each other’s, and his mother had told Paddy to videotape the proposal planned for the night before so she could cry about it later, probably, so now she can see it firsthand. And she will definitely cry if Liam gets on one knee in front of all of them.

They arrived before Zayn’s family and his sisters, so it is only the two of them and his parents. His mother works at a counter in the kitchen where she has been since before they arrived, trying to make enough food for the lot of them. Even though they all know Zayn’s mum has probably spent all night doing the same and everyone will end up going home with enough food for at least two more dinners.

Zayn is by her side with his sleeves rolled to his elbows and hands covered in flour. Gus wiggles between Zayn’s feet and his mother’s, scrounging for a drop of – well, anything.

“I am very proud of you,” he hears his mother whisper to Zayn as she places a ball of dough into his hands. “I love you like a son, you know.”

“I know, Mrs. Payne,” Zayn says with a laugh in his voice. It is comfortable, familiar and Liam isn’t sure when they became so close but it makes his heart swell in his chest when he watches them. “I mean, Karen.”

Karen looks at Zayn with a soft expression, her lips already starting to tremble and Liam takes a step forward before the tears start leaking past her eyelids and she ruins the surprise. She had been like a babbling brook when Liam had told her that he intended to propose to Zayn, and it had taken practically ten minutes to calm her down enough to get her to promise not to tell anyone.

“Mum. Call me Mum,” she corrects quietly, giving him a wink before turning back to the dough in front of her. She brushes a hand to her eyes, but he doesn’t think Zayn notices as he turns towards the sound of Liam’s footsteps coming near.

“Mum here is teaching me how to cook,” Zayn tells him, a smirk on his lips as he wiggles his flour covered fingers in the air to show him.

Karen makes a wounded sound that she muffles quickly with the back of her hand. Liam chuckles, sliding his fingers to Zayn’s hip as he gets closer. “There is no hope for you when it comes to cooking.”

“Not true,” Zayn denies stubbornly, reaching out to drag flour against Liam’s cheek. Their house has been at risk of burning down nearly every time Zayn has tried to cook anything other than microwaveable items in their house. “I’m going to tell me mum you said that and you won’t be her favorite anymore.”

“Speaking of your mum,” Karen says suddenly, wiping her hands on a rag that sits beside her on the counter. Her eyes are watery and she ducks her head so Zayn can’t see them. “I think that is them, now.”

Zayn swipes more flour on his face with a challenging look in his eyes. He can hear his dad moving around in the living room to get to the door, even though Karen is scurrying off to get to it first.

“At least I’m your mum’s favorite too,” he chuckles, sliding his finger across Liam’s nose. He hopes it means as much to Zayn as it does to him that Karen has asked him to call her ‘Mum’ – even if he doesn’t know that she had probably said that because she knows about the proposal.

Liam wraps his arms around him suddenly, backing him up against the counter and shaking him like he is wrestling him. “No, you’re my favorite,” he corrects, voice rough and mock angry. He rubs his face against Zayn’s, shaking off the flour that clings to his skin onto his.

Zayn muffles his laugh against the base of Liam’s throat before he nips his teeth gently at the skin there. “I guess that makes me pretty lucky. Being loved by the Paynes so much. ‘Cause I think I’m your dad’s favorite too.”

Liam’s eyes close with the force of the smile he hovers over Zayn’s lips. Zayn slides gentle fingers against the scruff of his jaw, pulling him closer so their lips brush together. Static electricity jolts down his spine, buzzes through his veins and warms his skin. He could spend the rest of his life like this, with his lips slotting against Zayn’s perfectly like they were made to fit together –

“Ahem.”

Zayn grins up at him as he pulls away with red cheeks and looks over Liam’s shoulder. “Hey Mum.”

He slides out of Liam’s arms to wrap his around his mother’s smaller frame. Yaser, who stands beside her with a hand pressed to her back, plants a firm hand on Liam’s shoulder. He wears a smile on his face that reminds him so much of Zayn’s, brightening up his whole face.

“M’boy,” Yaser greets, pulling Liam to his chest for a hug. “Alright?”

“Yes sir,” Liam answers, suddenly nervous. Maybe he hadn’t thought this through. Liam is nervous about speaking how he feels just to Zayn, and he is nervous Zayn is going to say no. What if he says no in front of his whole family? What if someone doesn’t think it is a good idea and actually says so?

What if his speech is actually really stupid and desperate sounding?

Fuck, fuck –

Safaa comes up to his side, sliding her arms around him as Yaser lets him go. She giggles out a greeting quietly as Liam ruffles her hair. She is just as much of a comfort as her older brother.

“Come around the house before you take off, alright son?”

Liam nods, wrapping his arms around Zayn’s little sister to hug her properly and wiggle her in his arms as he tells her how much he has missed her.

When his sisters arrive not shortly after, Tricia shoos them out of the kitchen as it gets to full with everyone in there, so Liam slides his fingers through Zayn’s and tugs him towards the backyard where their fathers stand behind the grill and Safaa’s laughter fills the air because Gus keeps chasing after her and his ball that she holds.

“It’s nice,” Zayn murmurs as they walk up to where Jawaad and Waliyha sit at the glass table on their back porch. Waliyha has her feet propped on the table, laughing at something Jawaad says as she taps quickly on her cellphone. “Having our families together.”

“Mhm,” Liam hums because his tongue feels too heavy to say anything more. It is overwhelming how quickly their families grew close with one another, how quickly it went from feeling like two families coming together to feeling like just one big family.

“I know it was your idea and not your mum’s,” Zayn tells him.  He waves a hand to indicate the house. “Getting us all together.”

Liam gives him a careless shrug of the shoulders in response. “No big deal. I just like being around our family.”

Zayn’s expression softens, his teeth digging into his bottom lip as he looks at Liam. “Our family.”

Liam nods, feeling his chest expand. It had been a slip of the tongue, but Zayn’s response makes him think maybe that is how he sees them too.

“You guys are gross,” Waliyha says without looking away from her phone when they get to the table. Her nose wrinkles and Zayn pinches her cheek in retaliation before he settles into Liam’s lap.

“You’re gross,” he shoots back. Liam slides his arms around his waist, keeping him secure on his lap as his eyes connect with Jawaad’s. There is a knowing look in them that makes his heart flutter and his pocket feel like it is filled with heavy rocks instead of the light box.

“In the car, Baba kept talking about how cute you two are,” Waliyha explains, looking at them so they can see the way she rolls her eyes. “I think Mum was going to cry.”

“And Waliyha was going to get sick,” Jawaad adds with a laugh.

Liam scrapes his lips against the back of Zayn’s neck, listening to him bicker with his little sister. It is light hearted, and Zayn’s laughter makes his heart flutter and his arms tighten their hold around him.

“You should probably just get married already,” Waliyha suggests offhandedly, making Jawaad laugh again.

Zayn doesn’t laugh. His whole body stiffens considerably and Liam does the same in response, stilling his lips against Zayn’s skin because he doesn’t know what that reaction means. Waliyha gives her brother a look he can’t read, shrugging her shoulders and it confuses him even more.

Liam circles his fingers against the material of Zayn’s shirt, easing the tension out of him until he relaxes back against Liam’s chest.

“Don’t let Mum hear you say that or she might start actually crying,” he says after a moment, his tone teasing. His fingers absentmindedly slide against the back of Liam’s hands, rubbing over his knuckles and working at the skin there until there are goosebumps erupting up Liam’s arms.

“And Mrs. Payne will join her,” Waliyha chuckles.

Zayn turns some in his lap so he can look back at him. The look in his eyes is warm, softening his features into a look Liam likes to think is just for him. In love - “Can you imagine?”

Liam only smiles, pressing it into Zayn’s shoulder. He wants to do a lot more than just imagine it.

 

A few hours later, Liam hops onto the kitchen counter, a dry rag in his hand as his father stands in front of the sink beside him, washing all of the dishes that hadn’t fit in the dish washer.

“So,” Geoff starts slowly, glancing at him with a grin on his lips. “Your mother told me there was going to be a surprise today, and I have been waiting with tissues at hand–“

“Dad,” Liam groans, grabbing a plate from him to dry it off.

“What?” Geoff says innocently, raising a brow at him. “The suspension is killing me.”

Liam snorts. Those tissues he mentioned are probably for himself, he thinks. His dad is worse than his mum sometimes. “I’m just like – nervous, you know?”

Geoff nods, humming in his throat. Everyone else had moved to the family room after dinner, with full bellies that made Safaa fall asleep curled up onto Ruth’s lap only a few minutes after she turned on some movie Doniya and her had been talking about wanting to see.

“It is a big thing, a big step. Of course you’re going to be nervous,” Geoff goes on. “When I proposed to your mother I was so nervous I kept missing her finger when I tried to put the ring on.”

Liam chuckles, sliding the plate into the dish strainer. He has heard the story of his father proposing about eight times, each time with just as many tears as the last time he heard it. “I just don’t know if like, you know, Zayn –“

Geoff stops, looking at him with a frown that cuts off his words. “If you are going to say that you don’t know if Zayn feels the same for you as you do for him than I am going to have to stop you there, son.”

“Feels the same way about marriage,” Liam clarifies, itching anxiously at his chin. Zayn has told him a handful of times just in the few days since they have been reunited that he is in love with him, like he knows Liam always needs to be reminded of it. But being in love and being ready for marriage are two separate things –

Geoff shrugs as if it is simple. “You are only going to find out if you ask, right?”

Liam goes quiet after that, his mind racing with his memorized speech and thoughts of forever with Zayn. He doesn’t know much of what his future holds, but he knows whatever happens, he will always have Zayn whether they are far apart or right beside each other, whether they are married or not. Zayn promised it years ago, _right next to you -_

That is why he chose to engrave those four words on the ring, because he wants to promise Zayn the same. When Zayn left the band, he had confessed his fears of Liam being more angry than supportive, that separation would hurt their relationship but he just _needed_ to go –

And Liam had choked it down and promised him that it would only show how strong their relationship is. Sturdy, strong, _fireproof_ -

Liam hops off of the counter when he finishes drying the last pot, his fingers anxiously working into his front pocket to wrap around the box waiting there. His heart pounds brutally against his chest, and he really doesn’t know what he is going to do when he steps into the living room. He doesn’t like not having a plan, but he never planned falling in love with anyone quite like Zayn either so maybe it fits.

Liam rests against the doorframe when he takes in the living room, and Zayn, who is curled up against the arm of the couch, head resting against the back of it and lips parted open as he sleeps soundly. Liam’s heart doesn’t drop this time, but warms because he looks peaceful and comfortable on his family’s couch.

 “Come sit, sunshine,” Tricia says, tapping a spot on the couch beside her as he shoves the ring deeper into his pocket. “Your mother says you have some exciting news.”

Liam gives his mother a look that says, “are you serious?” because he knew she wouldn’t be able to keep it to herself. She probably called Tricia the moment after he told her he was going to propose.

He settles on the cushion beside her, and she slides gentle fingers against his warm cheeks. She has never treated him any other way but like her own, and it has always made him feel warm. She is kind, gentle and caring just like his own mother and Liam can see so much of Zayn in her too. She is like all of his favorite people in one –

“You’re a good boy, Liam,” she says softly. “You take such good care of my sunshine.”

Liam grins, feeling his cheeks warm as he nuzzles into Tricia’s palm. “I kind of like him.”

Tricia nose wrinkles like Zayn’s does as she laughs. She quickly puts a hand over her mouth to muffle it though Zayn can sleep through anything.

Three-

Liam slides his palms up the soft skin of Zayn’s back, taking in the muscles wrapped around his shoulders and the inky bird in between his shoulder blades. His lips rub down the knobs of his spine, leading down to the indents at the bottom and he grazes his teeth there until he hears Zayn let out a shaky sigh from above him.

He slides his palms down to cradle his hips, his thumbs rubbing at the band of his briefs. His skin is warm, flushed and a bit sweaty from wrestling their clothes off a moment ago, and Liam can smell his cologne lingering to Zayn’s skin as he noses back up his spine. It is intoxicating, flaming up the bit of possessiveness he feels sometimes for Zayn, burning through him whenever one of his shirts hangs off Zayn’s shoulders, or his mouth leaves behind marks that take too long (but not long enough) to fade away, or when someone else touches him too intimately -

Zayn hums low in his throat when Liam scrapes his lips against his shoulder. He slides his fingers down Zayn’s arm, linking their fingers and dragging it up so their hands rest on the pillow above their heads. Zayn’s eyes flutter shut, his dark lashes spanning over the high of his cheek bones and his lips part around a silent sound when Liam presses his hips down to grind against his bum to ease off some of the tension curling inside of him because he wants to make this special, not rushed and desperate like they get sometimes.

“Love you,” Liam murmurs, dragging his lips against the thick of Zayn’s beard. He could do it now, since wrapped up around Zayn is his where he likes to be the most. Confess his feelings into his skin, whisper the words against his lips. _Will you marry me –_

But he has it planned for later, after Liam actually manages to untangle himself from the sheets and Zayn, which he has been incapable of doing so far. The movie is already waiting in the DVD player across from the bed, the ring hidden behind the television. They are staying in tonight, laid in bed since this afternoon and Zayn has already lit a few candles on the windowsill and the music plays softly around them, so it feels just as romantic as Liam had originally planned that night at the restaurant. 

“Love you more,” Zayn says shakily, eyes fluttering open. His tongue flicks out to wet his bottom lip, and Liam flicks his own out to catch it.

“No,” he sighs against Zayn’s lips, pushing himself up by the elbows some and letting go of Zayn’s fingers so he can roll onto his back.

“Mhm,” Zayn hums, sliding his fingers up Liam’s sweaty back and dragging him back down so their bodies press against each other. Zayn’s legs part like a habit, allowing room for Liam to press their hips together.

“No,” Liam insists, nudging his lips back against Zayn’s.

Zayn pushes his lips into a pout as he slides his fingers into the hair at the back of Liam’s head. “Why won’t you ever let me win?”

Liam presses his grin against Zayn’s jaw. He slides a hand down his side to grip his waist again, pulling Zayn’s hips up to arch against his own. Zayn’s clothed length rubs against his own and his words come out breathy and overwhelmed sounding. “’Cause it’s true.”

Zayn sighs, lips parting as he pulls his hips away from Liam’s and back against the mattress like the tease he is. It drives Liam crazy but he is in love with it. “I would like to win once, because sometimes I’m not so sure if you know how much I really do love you.”

He hesitates in responding because of the quiet way Zayn said it, and that vulnerable tone his voice always falls into whenever he starts talking about how he feels.

There is a flush high in Zayn’s cheeks, his bottom lip raw from Liam’s teeth or his own, he isn’t quite sure. He gentles a kiss to them, coaxing a sigh from Zayn’s lips that makes arousal curl deep in his abdomen.

“Okay,” Liam drags off as if it is a huge effort and he nuzzles their noses together. “You can love me more, but just for tonight.”

Zayn snorts, sliding his hands down Liam’s back to secure his hips against his own again. “You mean it?”

Liam nods. He doesn’t understand why it is so important, but he can see in the wide of Zayn’s eyes that it is to him. And if it is important to Zayn, it is important to Liam.

“I love you almost as much as you love me,” Liam gives in, making Zayn grin up at him. His lips part, making his words stutter out as he grinds his hips down against Zayn’s and Zayn digs his nails in gently to the skin of his hips.

“Love you forever,” Zayn promises.

“Love you longer than forever,” he jokes, pecking a kiss to Zayn’s lips.

Liam moves his lips across the ink stained to his chest, working his way down the curve of muscles on his abdomen. He listens to Zayn’s overwhelmed breaths, his choked out words under the music that plays softly from the playlist he had pulled up on his phone.  Something called Alternative RnB which Liam isn’t quite sure what that is, but it fits the calm settled around them.

He is slow in the way he stretches Zayn, with careful fingers and lips preoccupied on the soft skin of his inner thighs. Stopping himself from telling Zayn he is wrong when he chokes out the things he likes about him –

“Your heart is bigger than these arms of yours,” Zayn chuckles breathlessly, dragging his nails down the arm Liam has wrapped around of his thighs. Liam eases back up his stomach, careful when he curls his digits back inside of Zayn. There isn’t much resistance, but Liam is a bit in love with the way Zayn clenches around him –

“It’s only filled with love for you,” Liam murmurs, grinning against his skin.

Zayn starts to chuckle, but it breaks off as Liam tilts his hips and works the tip of his fingers on that ball of nerves that make Zayn’s legs quiver against him. He pulls his fingers out carefully, letting go of Zayn’s leg when their chests are aligned.

“Corny,” Zayn breathes, sliding a palm against the back of Liam’s head. His legs wrap around Liam’s waist, and there is an eagerness in Liam’s fingers when they catch on Zayn’s hip to pull him closer. “And I love that too.”

Liam wants it slow and gentle, but the arousal twisting in his belly makes his hips smack eagerly against Zayn’s, but Zayn’s moans fill the room, his fingers digging into Liam’s back in encouragement and his body arching against his own like they are trying to mold into the one that it feels like they are -

Zayn bites at the moans passing Liam’s lips, keeping him close so Liam is stitched to the top of him. The music can no longer be heard under the slap of skin and throaty groans, and Liam is sure the phone fell off the bed from the way the bed rattles with their movements.

“Fuck,” Zayn moans as Liam curls his arms under Zayn’s to pull him up when he pushes back onto his knees. Zayn feels tiny in his lap, his hips working down against him without hesitation despite the sudden position change.

Liam wishes Zayn had his longer hair at the moment, so he could tangle his fingers in it instead of slip them past the stubbly hair at the back of his head. Their noses nudge, their breath warming past each other’s skin and Zayn’s arm wraps around his shoulders almost desperately when his legs jerk tighter around him.

“Love this too,” Zayn huffs out, lips quirking up at the corners.

Liam doesn’t respond as pleasure burns down his spine, but instead muffles the groan rumbling past his lips against the curve of Zayn’s neck as a warning he is close. Zayn is always tuned into his body, just like the way Liam knows the throb of Zayn’s cock against his belly, the way he clenches around Liam as he bottoms out means he is close too.

He wraps his arms around Zayn’s waist, keeping him seated as he comes with his teeth against Zayn’s throat. Zayn tenses around him, cock pulsing against his stomach. It makes the breath catch in his lungs, the way Zayn circles his hips a little desperately, grinding down against his cock like he is addicted to the feeling of being full.

“Love you,” Liam moans, reaching up to slip his fingers against the side of Zayn’s head, layered in sweat. It is beautiful, the way his eyes clench close and the burn of red across his skin darkens as he comes. The shattered noise that leaves his lips as he digs his nails into Liam’s skin and his body jerks like he can’t handle the pleasure that overcomes it and he needs Liam’s arms around him to keep him together.  

“Love you.”

It turns into a chant that makes Zayn breathe out a chuckle against his lips, eyes wide and blown out as he catches his breath. His lips are swollen, almost painfully so looking and Liam drags a tongue against them as an apology.

“Love you more,” Zayn teases, smothering his smile against Liam’s lips to keep him quiet.

 

Liam waddles into the bathroom, pulling off a cloth from the hook beside the sink to wipe the come sticking to his skin. A cherry pink color stains his chest and he sees the crescent shaped indents on his hips that make his stomach curl with arousal like he could go for round two. Zayn had been telling the truth about having to make up for the last month -

He feels relaxed, confident this time about proposing. There are still nerves lingering around that make his heart beat a little too quickly, but his excitement overpowers it. Maybe it is the high he feels, like he is floating. It is like this every time he is with Zayn, an overdose of oxytocin and he is addicted.

Liam cleans himself off before he slips into a loose pair of boxers and grabs another towel for Zayn. He can’t quite tell their grandchildren that he proposed naked, though he is sure the boys would love to hear that story when he sees them again on tour.

When he walks back into the room, Zayn is on the edge of the bed, phone propped between his shoulder and ear as he quickly tugs on a pair of jeans that had been lying on the floor since he arrived a few days ago. His eyes find Liam’s when he jumps up to pull the jeans past his waist, and he gives Liam a sad shake of his head.

Liam glances at where he can almost make out the velvet box behind the television. They only have two more days together, and he really can’t afford something else to go wrong. He wants to spend those two days celebrating, or staring at how the band looks wrapped around Zayn’s finger.

“Yeah, I will be there,” Zayn sighs, hanging up the phone and tossing it onto the bed. He grabs for the shirt that had been next to the pants instead of looking at Liam, who watches him with a questioning look.

“I’m sorry,” Zayn blurts, finally looking up at him. He nibbles on his bottom lip in a nervous way, with a regretful look on his face that Liam has come too well accustomed to.

“Perrie stuff?” Liam asks, coming closer. Dread settles in his chest. They are supposed to have the week together, no interruptions.

Zayn nods, pushing forward to peck a kiss to his lips. “I will be back tomorrow, though okay? I promise.”

Liam gives him a jerky nod as he wraps his arms around Zayn’s shoulders, like that will be enough to get him to stay. Even if he is strong enough to hold Zayn against him forever, he wouldn’t do try and do that again. “Do you have to leave now?”

He gives Liam another regretful look, sliding his palms up Liam’s bare back. “Yes, but I still love you more. We will just have to extend my ‘just for tonight’ until tomorrow.”

Liam smiles, pulling Zayn against his chest. He knows there are many reasons Zayn thinks Liam doesn’t know how much he loves him and Liam can tell him over and over again he knows it but those insecurities will still stay with him. Just like his own do.

“I will be here when you get back.”

Four –

It is perfect.

To be honest, Liam should have just done this all along. Zayn has been dying to see Jurassic World, and hasn’t been able to stop talking about how excited he is to see it since the previews first started coming out. Liam is just as excited to see it, but he will have to go watch it again another time since he is going to be nervous and distracted the whole time, but it will be worth it.

And it will be just as cheesy, since the cinema agreed to play Liam’s video at the end, after the credits for a (large) extra cost. He has been thinking about it all nonstop since Zayn left the night before, running over other elaborate ideas on how to propose. He will kneel when the credits end, when the lights stay off and Zayn looks at him to leave.

It is Liam who expresses himself in traditional romantic ways, fancy restaurants and flowers, elaborate confessions of love. Zayn is the opposite, chiller – some of their best dates that Zayn had planned were in the bed, watching movies on his laptop. Zayn’s confessions of love are opposite too, a bit quieter but just as demanding to be noticed.

So maybe he will like something dorkier, a chill night out instead.

He looks to his phone as it vibrates, where he stands in the projector room going over the video with the operator. He had texted Zayn nearly two hours ago to tell him to meet him at the cinema instead of the house, but Zayn hadn’t responded all day. It made him nervous at first, thinking maybe Zayn was going back on his promise that he would be back today.

Zayn calls him instead of texting back and Liam doesn’t hesitate in answering, though his fingers shake as he presses the answer button. Those nerves are back, but he is just ready to do it. The closer they get to parting ways again, the more those nerves seem to be overpowered by the need to finally say those four words.

“Hey, where are you?”

“I’m sorry Liam.”

There is a hesitancy in his voice as he speaks and something cold runs down Liam’s back. It feels like panic really. Panic that Zayn isn’t coming back and he lost his chance, but that panic doesn’t get a chance to flourish as his boyfriend goes on -

“I’m at the house. Can we just stay in tonight? I’m not feeling up to leaving, babe. I’m sorry.”

Liam shoulders drop, but he can’t say no. He can hear it in Zayn’s voice. He gives Paddy a sad look, shaking his head some so he will know that once again, his plan to propose is off. That makes four times now, and Liam hopes if he walks into the house and blurts it at him that Zayn will find it just as romantic as all of his other attempts.

“Yeah, okay babe. I will be home in a few minutes.”

“Um, actually can you pick up a few things from the store first?”

Liam tells him he can, and turns over the paper with his speech on it to write down the odd assortment of items that Zayn lists off. He has to go to at least three different stores, all on different sides of town from another.

“Um, okay,” Liam drags off when Zayn finishes. He scrunches his brows, rereading the items, but it is all a bunch of nonsensical items that he can’t understand why Zayn would need.

“Thank you, love you more,” Zayn says quickly before hanging up the phone and leaving Liam confused.

“Okay?” Paddy asks, quirking up a brow in Liam’s direction when Liam shoves the phone into his pocket with a shrug of his shoulders.

 

It takes nearly an hour to get all of Zayn’s items, and he is slightly irritated but refusing to let it bother him since he wants to enjoy the last few days with his boyfriend. Liam just doesn’t understand why it is so urgent that Zayn needs a dog leash when they practically have seven and a fenced in yard, or turmeric powder since Zayn _really_ doesn’t know how to cook.

Liam secures the movie in his back pocket as he lugs in the few different bags into the house. It is quiet, nearly all the lights off but he can hear the distant sound of music under the pattering of paws against the wooden floor.

“Zayn?” Liam calls, dropping the bags on the table beside the front door.

“Living room,” Zayn calls and Liam kicks off his shoes and pads towards the direction of his voice.

The light from the living room lights up the hallway he walks down, but it is a glow that bounces off the walls and the familiar beat of a song that grows louder as he nears makes his chest tight and his heart beat faster because that is _their_ song.

_Cause nobody knows you baby, the way I do –_

Liam turns into the living room, his body stilling as he takes in the candles that cover ever surface possible, the table, the windowsills, the entertainment set. He eyes the pictures of him and Zayn on the television screen – one of them from the xFactor days that transitions into one of them from only a few months ago. Familiar from the thousands of times he has watched the damn video sitting in his back pocket.

His throat feels like it is closing when he drags his eyes to the middle of the living room, where Zayn stands with a soft smile on his lips and the glow of the candles reflecting off the watery shine in his eyes. He wears an all black suit, fitted to his body and he rubs nervous fingers over the knuckle of his other hand in front of him.

 _And nobody loves you baby the way I do_ –

Zayn clears his throat and Liam doesn’t miss the nervous shake in his fingers when he indicates the television where now a picture Liam carrying Zayn across stages shows. “I found your video on the computer.”

Liam nods, lost for words as he takes a step forward.

“It’s forty minutes long,” Zayn laughs, his voice watery. He reaches forward, fingers catching Liam’s jacket to pull him closer. “I watched it twice.”

Liam snorts. His tongue feels is thick and he is having a hard time processing what is going on enough to form coherent words.

_Cause nobody saves me baby, the way you do –_

“Niall laughed for about an hour,” he goes on. “He wanted to stay um, after he helped me set up the candles – to watch you cry or summat, but I said no.”

Liam wrinkles his nose, chuckling weakly. “I’m not going to cry.”

Zayn reaches out, his thumb sliding under his eyelid and Liam hadn’t even realized he was. Even though the tightness in his chest reminds him of all their moments together that had made him tear up. Their first kiss, on his tour bunk because Zayn couldn’t help himself and had to pull back the curtain and plant his lips to Liam’s quickly before running away.

Or the first time Zayn said he loved him, in a hushed tone while they were playing some video game Liam had been awful at, and only become worse at afterwards.

“Oh.”

Zayn clears his throat again and he slides his palm against Liam’s cheek. “I love you, Liam.”

“Love you –“

Zayn shakes his head, his smile growing some more. Even in the dim light he can see the tears that cling to his eyelids too and Liam reaches out to rub a thumb underneath his eye to catch one before it slips down his cheek.

“I have said it a thousand times but it still stands true. I’m in love you with you, babe.”

Liam can only nod, his throat growing tighter with the way his heart feels like it is going to break out of his chest.

“And it is going to always stand true. ‘Cause we’re fireproof,” Zayn jokes with a watery laugh that Liam joins in on.

“We are,” Liam says, sliding his thumb against Zayn’s wet cheek because the tears won’t stop slipping past his eyelids and Liam doesn’t understand.

He does, but he can’t quite wrap his head around the fact that this is happening. He has imagined this moment a million different ways in his head but it was always him initiating it.

Zayn gulps thickly, eyes flicking to Liam’s face before he slides his fingers over the hand resting against his cheek. He links their fingers and it feels like time slows as Liam watches Zayn take a step back and lower himself onto one knee.

Zayn blurs in his vision, tears sliding down the back of his throat and also coating his cheeks. Zayn’s fingers are warm against his hand and he can’t tell if they are shaking or if those are just his own as he watches Zayn pull out a small box from his pocket.

“I want us forever – you forever, if that is something you want to?”

Liam could laugh because he has been trying to figure out a way to tell Zayn that all week, but he only nods. Zayn flicks the box open, revealing a thick silver band with words etched into them that he can’t read. For a moment he wonders how Zayn got the engagement ring that is currently in his pocket because it looks so similar to the one he picked out for him.

“I just –“ Zayn pauses, his lips quirking up some as he flicks a tongue across them. “Marry me, Li?”

Liam shoves shaky fingers into his pocket, pulling out the velvet box. His speech disappears from him, replaced by a constant echo of Zayn’s words. He wants to store them on his memory and be able to retrieve them years from now like no time has passed. “Only if you marry me first.”

Zayn’s grin fades away as he stares at the box in Liam’s hand, eyes widening like Liam is sure his had just a moment ago.

“What is that?” Zayn says thickly, glancing up at Liam.

Liam chuckles, falling down to his knees in front of Zayn. “I have been trying to propose all week,” he says, his voice wavering some from the tears that choke him. He flicks open the box, holding it beside where Zayn still holds his. They look nearly similar, but up close Liam can see that the words on the one Zayn bought for him are different. _Love you more, love you forever -_

“I had a whole speech planned out and everything but I can’t seem to remember the words.”

Zayn’s other hand reaches behind his head to pull him in for a kiss. It is hard, a bit too much teeth and laughter but it is perfect because it makes Liam’s chest swell even more.

“Well,” Zayn says, pulling away and plucking the ring from the box he holds in his own hand. “Well please tell me you remember enough words to answer.”

“Yes,” Liam huffs out, holding out his right hand when Zayn reaches for it because he _should_ know what Liam’s answer would be. He can’t see what the ring looks like wrapped around his finger because his eyes are too blurry to see properly – “I’ll marry you.”

Zayn smiles bright, making his eyes scrunch and his nose wrinkle as he places his hand in Liam’s palm once the ring is secure on his finger. “And be Mr. Liam Malik?”

“Zayn Payne,” Liam corrects, taking out the band with right next to you inscribed onto it. His fingers are shaky, and Zayn’s breath hitches as he finally slips the band he has been staring at all week onto his finger finally.

Zayn snorts. “We’ll work on it.”

Liam only hums, reaching out to cup Zayn’s jaw and bring him back in for a kiss. It isn’t anything like he imagined it would go, but it is perfect either way –

 

Zayn’s eyes are latched onto where his finger traces shapes against Liam’s chest, onto the ring that is wrapped around it. Liam’s eyes are latched onto him, on the soft expression on his face and the way his eyelashes flutter against his cheeks every time he bites around a smile, randomly like he is suddenly remembering the night’s events.

Liam tightens his arm around Zayn’s shoulder, scraping his lips against his boyfriend’s hairline. His _fiancée’s_ hairline –

“I have a question,” Zayn murmurs, lips quirking up around a quiet laugh. “Did you make that video or was it fanmade?”

Liam feels his cheeks grow hot. “Maybe.”

Zayn bites Liam gently, giggling.

“Can I ask why you had me get all those weird things from the store?”

Zayn flattens his palm against his chest and sliding it up his skin until it curls around his jaw. Zayn’s eyes are lazy, relaxed as they look up at him. This is what his forever looks like –

“I had a dinner and everything planned out. I didn’t want you to get home too soon.”

“Dinner?” Liam says in surprise, raising his brows. The house only smells like those candles that he had been burning in the living room, and if he had dinner in the oven then surely it must be burnt by now.

Zayn rolls his eyes, cheeks reddening some. “I never ended up putting it in the microwave. Still in the fridge.”

“From your mum?”

“Yeah,” Zayn admits, resting his cheek against Liam’s chest. “She helped me come up with the whole thing. Her and my sisters. Jawaad and me Baba helped me pick out the ring. And um -” He chuckles some, scratching at his chin. “I wasn’t really with Perrie, but with my mum cooking dinner.”

Liam slides his fingers against Zayn’s head, thumb rubbing against the prickly hairs as he chuckles too. “Jawaad helped me too. He was going to bring the ring to the restaurant we went to the other night but he didn’t. Clearly he is on your side here.”

Zayn barks out a laugh, dragging his fingers down Liam’s abdomen and into the coarse hair that trails lower. “He _is_ my cousin.”

“He will be mine,” Liam reminds him softly, rubbing a thumb down Zayn’s cheek. The words make his own breath catch and Zayn shifts to prop his chin on Liam’s chest when he hears it.

“Our mums are going to cry when we tell them.”

Liam nods, tilting Zayn’s chin some to graze a kiss against his lips. “Just like we did. We just can’t tell them that.”

Zayn nuzzles his nose against Liam’s. “Take it to the grave babe.”

“I love you.”

Zayn shifts, crawling up Liam’s body to plant his elbows into the pillow on either side of Liam’s head. There is a soft smile on his lips, laughter in his eyes but they are watery again.

“I love you more.”

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think please? Was it too much? [tumblr](http://zipplekink.tumblr.com) and [twitter](http://twitter.com/aveszayn) if you need it!


End file.
